The Irish standard., 1887-07-02

MINNIE.
Of the franchise which you now enjoy
in Wales, from the moment when Ire
land. using that great instrument of
national power, returned SO members
out of really 1O1, for never can regard
the Dublin University members as
members from Ireland-from the mo-
ment these came to Parliament it was
demonstrated that until the great and
fund. mental sore of Ireland could be
healed, the wound of Ireland. was so
grievous and so deep that the Irish
question must be the primary and alb
sorbing subject of the deliberations and
the cares of Parliament. And so, gen.
tlemen, it has been. Last year, 1 ad-
nit, we took up the time of Parliament
with the discussion of Home Rule and
accessory measures. This year the time
of Parliament has been more exclu-
sively absorbed on Irish matters, for the
time we spent in what is called the re-
form of the rules of procedure in the
House of Commons was merely spent
by the Government in order to have a
more powerful instrument for the coer-
cion and repression of the Irish mem
bers, and, therefore, it has been on
Ireland in one shape or another, and
for the first time we have done what we
never wished to do, and that which, if
we had wished, we should not have
dared to do-the free, independent
voice of the House of Commons has
been extinguished. The five days Of
the week-of which three belonged for
merly to independent members and
only two to the Government-ha have been
all given over to the government, and
have been employed by the Government
in driving forward, as we'll as they
could, ,ttheir wanton, their insidious and
their insulting coercion bill. Now,
gentlemen, if there is block Of busi-
ness, how is the time employed? Not
by our unnecessarily or prematurely
forcing the consideration of Home Rule.
I have not attempted to say one word
during the whole course of the session
upon it. 1t is entirely occupied by the
alternative policy, the mischievous pol
icy of coercion. Therefore, it is too
bad when the Prime Minister talks
about the gigantic engine Of obstruc-
tion which they have to face. and says
this terrible and gigantic engine Of OBJ
struction is welded by Mr.. Gladstone,
who has the honor to belong to party
which at present reckons only one
fourth of the House-we are 1876 MEM
bers, and that is as nearly as possible
one-fourth Of the House. I admit that
the coercion bill has been delayed, be-
cause it has been badly framed and
badly misunderstanding in it's basis
of facts, extravagant and insidious in
objects, and totally mismanaged, as
we'll as misconceived, from every point
of view. When the first clause came
into the House it consisted of four-and
thirty lines, and when it passed through
the committee it had nearly 120 lines.
What does that showp Itshows that
the Government did not know how to
draft or conduct their bill-it shows
that so many blots and weak points
were discovered, SO many gaps had to
be filed, that with all their maiorities
go, 20, 80, 80, 100-they were obliged
to let the clause swell from four and
thirty lines to something very nearly
four times that bulk. These are the
reasons why business is delayed, because
those who are doing the business of the
country do not know how to do it. In
concluding, the orator said: We want
to make Ireland a source Of strength
instead of a source of weakness; we
want not to be in condition as we
were in the great war which made it
necessary tor us when our military
strength was required to be put in use
all over the globe, to haye 10000 men in
Ireland to keep down the people. We
want, above all, to clear the character
of England, which is disgraced through
out the world for it's treatment of Ire
land during 700 years. I think may
present to you one or two other points
of practical importance connected with
the further opening of the subject. Are
we ripe to decide at the present mo-
ment the exact manner. and the exact
conditions under which, after Home
Rule has been established in Ireland.
the Irish representation in Westminster
shah be regulated and adjustedp In my
opinion I frankly tell you I greatly
doubt it. I have come across no one
who has a plan cut and dried for. that
subject. Tories are going about the
country and complaining that the work
of coercing Ireland has been so fa-y
tiguing as to exhaust them. 1t reminds
me of an incident which / will venture